Self retaining lower denture



June 9, 1936. w FLElsgHMAN 2,043,742

SELF RETAINING LOWER DENTURE Filed Sept. 23, 1955 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICEv 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a denturaand particularly to a lower denture.

In practice, there is considerable difficulty in holding lower dentures in position, particularly where the plate is a full lower denture carrying all the artificial teeth for the lower jaw, so that it is impossible to have any anchorage for the plate on natural teeth in the jaw.

Heretofore, plates and other means have been employed for engaging the face of the gum below the lower edge of the denture for retaining the dentures, but such devices have been generally formed wholly of metal or of rigid material,

' and in some cases have involved the use of 5 spring plates connected by spring hinge joints to the denture.

Such devices with metallic retaining means are apt to be uncomfortable.

The general object of this invention is to provide simple means capable of being incorporated in a lower denture for exerting a slight yielding pressure against the face of the gum below the mylohyoid ridge; also to construct such means so that a yielding cushion is presented to bear against the face of the gum in the retro-molar area, and in such a way as to prevent any discomfort to the wearer of the denture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lower denture with means for exerting slight yielding pressure against the face of the gum to retain the denture, and which is so constructed as to enable the employment of a removable yielding cushion preferably in the form of a tube or pouch-form pad of yielding material such as rubber, and so constructed that when desired, the cushion can be readily removed and replaced by another cushion. In this way I overcome the objection to the use of soft material on the ground that it is unsanitary.

A further object is to provide a denture which will be self-retaining and which can be readily adjusted to the patients lower jaw.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient self-retaining lower denture.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a. perspective showing one side of a denture broken away and illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a jaw, looking forwardly, and illustrating the denture shown in Fig. l, in place. 5;

Fig. 3 is a perspective illustrating the preferred embodiment of the pad holder before attachment to the denture.

Fig. 4 is a perspective illustrating the preferred embodiment of the pad. 10:

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a pad holder and pad broken away, partly in section, and illustrating another embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating another embodiment for the pad holder and in- 1:6:

dicating the pad in dotted lines.

Fig. 7 is a perspective broken away and partially in section, illustrating another embodiment in which the pad is molded onto the pad holder.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the pad illustrated in Fig. 4.

Figs. 2 to 8 are upon a greatly enlarged scale.

When applying my invention to a full lower denture, I provide a pad holder at each side, secured on the inner side of the denture. Each pad holder is preferably constructed so that it holds its pad with a yielding pressure against the gum just below the mylohyoid ridge and in the retromolar area. This enables the denture to retain itself without discomfort. The pad is preferably 3 in the form of a yielding cushion and is preferably constructed so that it can readily be extended or stretched over the pad holder.

Referring more particularly to the parts, Fig. 1 illustrates substantially the left half of a denture l, which is of the usual channel form to fit on the patients gum.

The denture is provided at each side with a pad holder comprising a shank 2 that is preferably bifurcated or of double form so as to 40 present two stems 2a and 2b that are secured to the denture at their upper ends. For this purpose the stems are bent laterally above to form anchors 2c embedded in the material of the denture. This shank 2 preferably is formed of slightly resilient material but capable of being bent by the dentist to adapt the pad holder to special requirements of the patients lower jaw. The stems 2a and 2b are preferably bent 50 below to form a substantially horizontal extension 3, preferably projecting forwardly and rearwardly, and so that the pad 4 carried by the extension will lie just below the mylohyoid ridge 5 and in the retro-molar region. The pad may 55 be of any suitable material but is preferably of a cushion material such as rubber.

The pad 4 is formed with a chamber 6 within it, and is preferably in the form of a miniature pouch elongated along a horizontal axis and provided with an opening on the upper side edge forming an extensible mouth 1 that can be stretched so as to apply the pad over the extension or frame 3, with the neck 8 of the pouch operating as a tight sleeve on the shank. The shank .2 is preferably of goose-neck form (see Fig. 2). This form gives a spring effect to the shank and also affords a point at which the shank can be bent by the dentist to adjust the extension 3 toward or away from the gum, so as to alter the angle of the plane in which the extension lies.

The wall of the pad -l is preferably thicker on the side toward the gum, to increase the cushion elfect. The material such as rubber, of which the pad 5 is composed, is sufficiently resilient to enable the mouth I to be stretched I and applied over the extension 3 from one end,

and'worked over the extension until the same is completely enveloped in the pad.

If desired, the pad may be in the form of a solid piece of pad a of rubber (see Fig. '7) embedding the horizontal extension lb and vulcanized.

Instead of having the shank bifurcated, I may construct it of a single post H (see Fig. 6) extending down from an anchor plate E2 to be embedded in the denture when molded, and with the extension 53 formed of a wire frame soldered at l3a to the lower end of the post. This constru'ction enables the shank to be made stiffer or more rigid though the wire frame I3 will have considerable flexibility.

Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment in which the horizontal extension is in the form' of a solid bar E i rigid with a solid post-form shank [5, in which case the pad is of tubular form preferably closed at its ends and with an extensible mouth IS on its upper side enabling this pad to be slipped over the bar id in the manner described in connection with Fig. 1.

It will be evident that the pads l engaging under the mylohyoid ridge 5 will securely hold the denture in place on the gun.

The bifurcated shank has considerable flexibility and enables the pad to adapt its position to the face of the gum.

It will also be evident that in every embodiment of the invention the shank can readily be twisted to change the plane of the pad as viewed in plan.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having a pad holder at each side with a shank secured to the denture, extending downwardly and having a substantially horizontal integral extension below, and a cushion of yielding material carried by said horizontal extension located, and adapted, to press against the gum below the mylohyoid ridge of the lower jaw.

2. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having a padholder with a shank embedded at its upper end in the denture, ex-

tending downwardly, and with an integral substantially horizontal extension projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the shank, and a pad carried by said extension adapted for engaging the gum.

3. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having a pad holder with a shank embedded at its upper end in the denture, extending downwardly, and with an integral substantially horizontal extension projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the shank, and a removable cushion of yielding material having a chamber therein and capable of being slipped over the said horizontal extension.

4. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having a pad holder with a. shank embedded at its upper end in the denture; extending downwardly, and With an integral substantially horizontal extension projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the shank, said horizontal extension being in the form of a wire frame, and a pad secured to said frame and adapted for engaging thegum.

5. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having a shank secured thereto and extending downwardly, said shank comprising two wire stems bent at their lower ends to form a frame, and'a pad carried by said frame for engaging the gum.

6. A lower denture having a channel-form body adapted to be received on the lower gum, said denture having ashank secured thereto and extending downwardly, said shank comprising two wire stems bent at their lower ends to form a frame, and a pouch-form pad of yielding material with a mouth enabling the same to be drawn over theframe.

7. A denture having a shank extending therefrom, and a pad consisting of an elastic pouch with an opening in its wall capable of being stretched to enable the pad to be slipped-over the shank and secured thereto. k

8.;A pad to be applied to a pad holder on a denture, in the form of a pouch of-elastic material elongated along an axis and having an opening in the wall'thereof, enabling thesame to be stretched and applied over the pad holder.

- GEORGE W. FLEISCHMAN'. 

